


Panorama View

by wegoodandevilthings



Series: Who's your favorite uncle? [3]
Category: Mission: Impossible (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Molly (Ethan and Julia's dog)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-12
Updated: 2012-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:21:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25785064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wegoodandevilthings/pseuds/wegoodandevilthings
Summary: Declan returns home from a mission, only to find his apartment destroyed. Luckily for him, he knows a couple with a guest room.
Relationships: Ethan Hunt/Julia Meade
Series: Who's your favorite uncle? [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1870549
Kudos: 1





	Panorama View

Assignments without his usual team were always kind of a drag. Everything had gone well, but the last few hours had been a rollercoaster ride of waiting and action and remembering how to breathe and a shootout and a helicopter flight. Declan was glad it was over.

Coming home from an assignment only to find out he now had panorama view because the neighbors' gas line had blown was not his idea of a warm welcome, even though the fire had burned with a couple hundred degrees. IMF had postponed their briefing (his handler taking a look at him and sending him home with a laugh) until the next morning so he had gone to his place straight from the military base they had arrived at; Only to find out he didn't have an apartment with four walls anymore.

It wouldn't have been a problem to check into a hotel, but it had been one of those gruesome missions after which another hotel room was the last place he wanted to spend a couple of days. He was bone-weary, so once he had learned from IMF that it had been a real, actual and coincidental accident and not an attempt on his life, Declan decided to call in a favor with one of his friends. It was the kind of telephone joker he could only call in once a year, but right then he couldn't have cared less. He hesitated over his first choice, then picked Luther out of his contacts and hit the green button. His fingers were tingling with anticipation or maybe adrenaline.

He was just hearing the first dial tone when he remembered that the last time he had shared a hotel room with Luther, they had almost killed each other over who got to use the bathroom first. That Declan had weaseled his way inside even though Luther had been covered in molasses from head to toe hadn't exactly helped their relationship. He quickly cancelled the call. There had to be a better option - someone who wouldn't already count the question itself as the once-a-year favor, only to laugh and deny the request. With Luther, he kind of expected that reaction instead of a 'yes.'

Declan hesitated for a moment, then another, before he reluctantly called Zhen. He knew he shouldn't. There was a reason, after all, why the two of them so rarely did anything alone when they weren't on a mission. They did not get along all that well because his jokes rarely hit their mark with her. This was an emergency, though. He really needed some sleep. He waited for Zhen to pick up, tapping his foot. He didn't even get to the question, however, before Zhen said "No" as soon as he had gotten to the part with panorama view. He tried again. "Zhen, please-" He really wasn't feeling well.

"No, Dec. Not because I don't want you here, but because I _can't_ have you here this weekend. My sister's visiting."

Declan was just about to respond when Zhen continued, "But call Hunt. I think Julia's just finished decorating the new guest room. She'd probably love to have you over."

"Yeah, will do," Declan said and thanked her anyway, knowing that even if she didn't actually have her sister visiting that weekend, at least she was nice enough to give him a polite excuse. That counted for a lot.

That and Ethan's place had one bonus none of the others' places had: Molly.

Instead of calling ahead, Declan decided to show up in person. He knew that Hunt could walk out of earshot and quickly deal with him on the phone, but if he showed up in person, Molly would start barking and wagging her tail and Julia would get to hear the panorama view story and she'd invite him in before Hunt could tell her not to. It was the best plan yet.

The drive was relatively short at that time of the night. And only when he got out of the car, popping the trunk to grab his ready bag, he realized that he had blood on his shirt and jacket, and probably on his skin and in his hair, too. His nape was feeling kind of sticky. He noticed with distain that his hand was shaking, too. The adrenaline was wearing off now that he knew he was a shoo-in for a newly-decorated guest room with a made bed with a down comforter. He cleared his throat and locked the car. Something was weird, he thought. He was getting really tired all of a sudden.

Declan had barely rung the doorbell when the front door already swung open. Hunt grabbed him by his jacket and pulled him quickly inside. Declan stumbled over his feet and hit the wall with one shoulder from the momentum. Eager much? Only when the door was closed behind him, did Hunt really look at him.

"Hey," Hunt greeted him and put his free hand on Declan's other shoulder. It felt comforting for a moment. From somewhere behind them in the house, Molly was barking. Julia's voice was there, too. Declan rolled his head in the direction of the living room, but no one came to save him and invite him in.

He looked back at Hunt. "Hello." He was going to say more, looking for words, not quite sure where to start. The panorama view joke wasn't all that funny anymore now that he had gone over it a couple of times in his head.

"Zhen called me," Hunt interrupted, before Declan could say more. "She knew you would just show up."

Declan shrugged defensively and turned his head again to see down the hallway leading into the living room. He really was sorry for interrupting Hunt's family time like that. "I'm-"

"You're a mess," Hunt said. "You forgetting I work for traffic control? You've got blood on your face. What if someone had seen you?" He paused only for a moment. But a blink later, Declan's head was suddenly turned to the side, and Hunt was checking out the back of his head. Declan couldn't think. He had blood on his face? "Jesus, who debriefed you?" Hunt asked then, and Declan shrugged again.

  
"I think the adrenaline is wearing off," he explained his state of mind.

Hunt snorted. "Julia, can you come out, please? It's alright. It's Declan."

A moment later, Molly came rushing down the hallway toward them. "Hey, girl," Declan greeted her and held out a hand. He almost lost his balance, but Hunt kept him steady with his hands on Declan's shoulders.

"C'mon, we're gonna sit down," Hunt said and pulled Declan along. Molly followed them, excited and wagging her tail, but something had to be throwing her off, because she kept making whining sounds.

Julia was meeting them halfway to the couch, and grabbed Declan's other side. It occurred to him then, that she had never seen any of them not looking like poster boys for normalcy – except for Hunt himself. But whenever they came to visit, they were normal people with normal jobs. This bleeding and being half unconscious, was not normal.

"Hi, Julia," Declan said, waving half-heartedly. His arm was aching, but he thought he was covering it well. Hunt sat him down on the couch and let him sink into the cushions. There was a towel behind him, covering the couch. "This feels so good," Declan groaned and closed his eyes.

Julia said something to Hunt that made him leave, before she leaned over to look him in the eyes. "Hey," she said when he looked at her. Her smile was fake.

"I heard you have a new guest room."

"We do," she replied. This time, the smile was real. "Didn't think we'd christen it like this, though."

Hunt came back then, a first aid bag in his hand. "Julia's going to patch you up. I'm calling IMF to ask them what the fuck happened."

"I just came back," Declan said. He let Julia shine a light in his eyes and flinched away. "My apartment building was gone. I was going to stay at a hotel, but I just spent three weeks in one."

Julia held up two pills and gestured for him to open up, before she moved them closer. He looked at Hunt for the go sign before he swallowed them. A glass of water was next and he drank it.

"I got that part from Zhen, but what happened before that is what has me worried."

Declan frowned. "I can't tell you that. You should know that." Julia frowned, too. She was taking his shirt off, but she was doing it with gloves on, so Declan was okay with that. Declan shook his head and forced himself to be a bit more aware of what was going on. It was nice to have people take care of him, but he felt like a piece of furniture.

Hunt sighed. "I know. That's why I'm calling IMF. To get them to tell me, so you don't have to." Declan let Hunt help with the gun holster while he was being connected to the bureau, and watched him put it on the couch table after making sure it was safe. Then, Hunt turned around and went into the garage, already talking to someone in a rather loud voice.

That sounded better. Declan looked at Hunt's wife and reached out to grab her hand. "Hey, Julia, can I sleep in your guest room tonight? Zhen said you redecorated it. I know I should've called first, but-" He felt like he was having a déjà vu. Had he asked her that already?

She interrupted him, squeezing his hand. "Really, it's no problem. Don't worry." She continued her examination quietly, swabbing and bandaging, until she suddenly stopped. "Declan, are you alright?"

"I've been awake for two days," Declan answered and shook his head. "So, no. Not really." Hunt was shouting at someone on the phone.

"I've never," she started, but didn't finish. There was something in her eyes that hurt Declan. "Is this what happens?" she finally asked.

Declan knew what she was asking. "Sometimes," he replied. "Not very often. And never to Hunt," he said.

Julia bit her lower lip. "Never to him, huh?"

Declan was just about to tell an elaborate lie, when Hunt returned. "Never," Hunt lied for him with a vehement shake of his head. "Just that one time you saw. But never before that. And certainly not after."

Declan grinned. "Just what I was going to say."

"I'm sorry, Dec," Hunt said then and looked down. "I'll get the guest room ready. When you're done, Julia will show you."

When Molly put her head on the couch next to his hand and later followed him to the bedroom, everything was well again.

He woke up at Hunt's house the next morning with no memory of having gotten there. Molly was lying on the bed next to him, attentively watching his every move. She wagged her tail at him, slapping her paws against him before dashing off.

"Morning," Julia said upon finding him awake in his bed when she checked on him.

"How," Declan wondered, not quite sure what was going on.

"Do you remember getting hit during your mission?" Hunt interrupted them, coming into the guest room behind Julia. "Something hard and heavy, giving you a concussion?"

Declan nodded slowly. "Yeah, but I was doing well after that, though." Maybe he hadn't been fine after all. Molly snuffled at his hand.

Julia pressed her lips together. "It can take hours to show signs of a concussion," she said and looked at her husband. "Ethan will take you to the hospital to get you thoroughly checked out."

Declan hummed. "You have a fantastic guest room," he praised them both, surreptitiously petting Molly's head until her whole body wriggled. "Yes you do," he cooed at her specifically for no reason. Then he turned back to his hosts. "So I came home and my apartment has panorama view now," he started, but Julia's frown and Hunt's rolling eyes told him that he had told the story at some point last night. "Okay. But what I'm saying is that this guest room is really fantastic." Maybe he could squeeze another night out of them with enough charm.


End file.
